IVO-Congress shows variety of topics on international scale

When the world of orthopedic shoe technology meets at the IVO-congress every three years, traditionally the most different national issues and treatment concepts as well as international approaches around foot and shoe come together. That was also the case in Paris on 19 and 20 March.

Every three years the IVO-congress offers orthopedic shoemakers from all over the world the possibility to exchange experiences and to get further education. Serge Mathis, president of the French association UPODEF, host of the congress this year, could welcome 856 guests from 16 countries in the congress area of Disneyland Paris. 56 companies presented their products and services in an area of 762 square meters.

"The delegates were very happy with the congress and the exhibitors could establish the contacts they wanted, " Maud Breton, project manager and responsible for the organization, said. Participants from Australia, Germany, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Nigeria, Luxemburg, Algeria, Vietnam, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Gabon came to Paris - the biggest part, as usual with IVO-congresses, being the locals. And thus also the workshops, which were organized three times each, and which started the specialized program on Thursday morning, were in French. Topics were motion analysis, esthetic and modern design of orthopedic custom-made shoes or the trend topic 3D-print. Concerning proprioception the French perspective was contrasted to the German one, there was a workshop on equipping palsied patients with orthopedic custom-made shoes and also a case study on quantitative gait analysis - each without simultaneous interpretation into German or English, completely different from the lecture program in the big conference room.

They could enjoy a smooth course of action and a successful event: (from l.) Congress president Prof. Emmanuel Coudeyre, Serge Mathis, president of the French association UPODEF, Philippe Kaeufling, president of the event committee COJAP and Karl-Heinz Schott, who passed the IVO-presidency on to Serge Mathis at the end of the congress.